Housing developers who want to build in unincorporated parts of Santa Clara County next year will, for the first time, have to set aside units for low-income residents or pay an in-lieu fee. The Board of Supervisors on Oct. 6 approved the requirement that low-income housing make up 16 percent of new developments containing three...
After 40 years in politics, Jim Beall casts his final vote in Sacramento
For Jim Beall, there were no first-day jitters when he stepped foot on the Senate floor eight years ago. “It was December of 2012 – my first day — and by the time I finished the day, I had introduced, I think, three bills,” Beall said. And after a distinguished four decades in public office in...
Victims urge supervisors to tackle sexual harassment at Santa Clara County schools
During a young woman’s sophomore year at Henry M. Gunn High School in Palo Alto, a fellow student sexually assaulted her off campus. That began years of intense suffering, taunting and trauma. “I was forced to choose between my physical and mental safety and my education,” according to the student, who ultimately left the high...
Santa Clara County supervisors pump $13 million to help people quarantine
Santa Clara County residents who are exposed or have contracted COVID-19 are getting more financial help to cover the cost of isolating and quarantining. Supervisors on Sept. 22 approved a $13 million infusion to the county’s cities to pay for motel costs, at-home support and financial assistance related to mandatory quarantine if residents get the...
Census workers push on in Santa Clara County despite challenges
A hearing by a federal judge in San Jose on when the U.S. Census count will end was met with another delay. Due to COVID-19 and other challenges, only four states reported 99% of housing enumerations completed, according to testimony at a hearing Sept. 22 before U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose. Concerned...
Santa Clara County makes history with Juneteenth holiday
June 19, the date that marks the end of slavery in the United States in 1865, is now a holiday for Santa Clara County employees — a first in California. The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Sept. 22 to make the day, also known as Juneteenth, Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day and Emancipation Day,...
Route 22 overnight bus service once again on chopping block in Santa Clara County
The Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority is proposing to reduce or eliminate overnight services of the bus line dubbed Hotel 22, the only 24-hour bus route in the county that is often used by homeless residents seeking shelter at night. The transit agency has proposed several scenarios for Route 22, which is part of the...
‘Hellhole’: Santa Clara County suspect who got COVID-19 in jail describes conditions
Raul Covarrubias has sat in the Santa Clara County Main Jail awaiting trial since June 6, 2019. While his right to a speedy trial promised a decision by July 3, COVID-19 threw everything out the window. Covarrubias, who had no previous criminal history, tested positive in jail two days later. In an interview from the...
New panel begins to tackle emergency needs of homeless in Santa Clara County
Even as long-term solutions for homelessness in Santa Clara County gain momentum and support, emergency measures are lacking and likely will get worse. That was the grim reality presented to the county’s Unhoused Task Force, which held its initial meeting Sept. 9. Proposed by Supervisor Dave Cortese earlier this year, the group aims to address...
Bay Area transit leaders, unions butt heads on safety of public transit
A plan to address safety for public transit workers that is drawing harsh union criticism faces more scrutiny next week as transit leaders continue efforts to get people back on the roads during COVID-19. James Lindsay, international vice president of the Amalgamated Transit Union, said five members have died across California in the past two...